11 Top On-Page SEO Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Do I really have to tell you that on-page SEO is huge? And you should not make on-page SEO mistakes if you want to rank higher on search results.

I completely agree that backlinks still play a deciding role in the search engine ranking. But without getting the on-page SEO right, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get the top ranking on search results.

Do you know the top on-page SEO mistakes that many businesses make unknowingly?

Well, if not, the help is here!

In today’s post, I am going to share with you the top 11 on-page SEO mistakes.

After reading this post, I am sure that, you will know how to avoid these on-page SEO mistakes and optimize web pages perfectly for better visibility on Google.

Without further ado, let us dive in:

1- Title tag is not front-loaded with a keyword

Merely including a keyword in a title tag is not enough. You need to front-load your title tag with a keyword. The closer you are able to place a keyword in your title tag, the better it will be.

When I searched for the keyword ‘on-page seo’, the following results came on the top:

Though Moz featured on the knowledge graph, BACKLINKO topped the organic search results.

Observe these top results. Both Moz and BACKLINKO have front-loaded their title tags with the keyword – on-page SEO.

If you cannot front-load your title tag with a keyword, you should try to place the keyword as close as possible to the beginning of your title tag.

Google typically displays the first 50-60 characters of a title tag. So, you should keep your title within 60 characters. Doing so will help you avoid making this common on-page SEO mistake.

2- Meta description is not optimized

The Meta description of your web page is equally important as its title tag.

If you analyze the Meta descriptions of the search results for the keyword ‘on-page SEO’, you will find that the Meta descriptions have been optimized the same way as the title tags.

In some results, Google has fetched Meta descriptions from the web pages. But in other results, Search Engine Journal (SEJ) and Moz have used the keyword ‘on-page SEO’ in the beginning of their Meta descriptions.

Google often shorten snippets longer than 160 characters. It is best to keep your Meta description shorter than 160 characters. However, make sure that your Meta description is complete and click-worthy.

3- Not using SEO-friendly URLs

Just like title tags and Meta descriptions, Google also considers URLs to take a clue to figure out the topic of your content.

Here are some search results from the third page of Google for the same keyword ‘on page SEO’

Look at the second last result: the keyword (on page SEO service) is not included in the URL. The same is true for the third result.

You should always create short and sweet URLs with keywords.

Suppose your website is www.abc.com and your keyword is xyz the ideal URL will be like this:

www.abc.com/xyz

4- Keyword missing in the beginning of your content

Many businesses write long introductions without using a keyword. You should avoid it.

Always try to use a keyword in the first 50-100 words.

When I searched for ‘off-page SEO’, I got these results on the top:

Here is how Moz used keyword ‘off-page SEO’ in the first 100 words.

Reliablesoft.net, which features on Google Knowledge Graph, also did the same:

Google cannot read an image. The alt text describes what is on the image and how the image is related to the web page. You must optimize the images you are going to use in your content. At least, one image in your content must have alt tag.

The use of alt tag in the image on your web page not only helps the page rank higher but also helps blind and visually impaired people to understand what is on the page through screen readers.

However, you should not cram your keyword in every image you use.

Choose a high quality, relevant image to have alt text.

7- No outbound link in your content

If you do not include outgoing links to high-authority websites in your web pages, start doing it.

“When you link in your content, you’re telling the engine that the target of your link is so relevant and important that you want your visitor to simply be able to click a link and go straight there. Basically, that what you’re linking to is potentially so relevant that the visitor may want to stop what they’re reading and go to the next page.”

Well, Dave said it all.

Internal links in your content should appear natural, not manufactured.

Low dwell time on your website is always bad. Google pays a very close attention to it.

If somebody clicks back to search results the moment they arrive on your website, it sends Google a signal that the content on your website does not resolve the query of the visitor. This is also known as Pogo-sticking.

Is there any way to avoid Pogo-sticking and increasing dwell time on your website?

The answer is yes.

Here are a few tips that will help you hold the attention of your website’s visitors:

Write super engaging first paragraph

Put a lot of efforts on making your content compelling

Write unique, useful, long content

Use relevant, eye-catchy images

Use relevant video

If you follow these points, you will certainly have visitors dwelling longer on your website.

11- Non-responsive website design

Gone are the days when people used to open a website on PC or laptop only.

Now, people use smartphones to access the web more than PC or laptop according to a research.

What does it mean?

You should use responsive website design so that your website can be viewed optimally across all devices.

In a ranking factors survey by Moz, the use of responsive design and/or mobile optimized was rated 6.3 on a scale from 1 (no direct influence) to 10 (strong influence).

My friend, use responsive design and avoid this on-page SEO mistake. This can help you rank higher on Google.

Conclusion:

On-page SEO is imperative to optimize your online presence. By avoiding these top on-page SEO mistakes, you take the first step toward getting high rank on Google when a potential customer makes a search for a keyword related to your products or services.

What about you? Do you want to add any on-page SEO mistake to this list? Do share it in the comment section. I would love to hear about any new on-page SEO mistake.

Hello Lalit Sir Thanks for the great tips! I’m new to online marketing, and this is really helpful! Since getting started, I’ve been bombarded by “spin writers” and such to create a TON of content quickly, but you seem to say that these search engines have become sophisticated enough to determine when your content is crap. Am I understanding that right?

Optimize the website for voice search as Google confirmed the much discussed Mobile First Indexing update among the SEO Experts. Also using long tail keywords that form a query or questions in the content will definitely help to stay up to date with voice searches.

There are so many factors but you have mentioned the major changes which can affect your ranking and can increase it quickly. Apart from this , now a days load time and amp are the major factors which are causing lost website owners to get traffic or facing less user experience because of this.

I believe you are referring to keyword density of all you mentioned. Please correct me if I am wrong. However, my friend, if that is your question, robots and sitemap aren’t for keywords density as they are used for different purposes. But, yes, heading tags (h1-h6) are good places to use keywords as long as they aren’t overdone. Please be cautious and smart while using them for the same purpose. To conclude, a wise keyword density is what logically required and is more than enough for Google to consider.